Gniezno[1] is city in Greater Poland in Poland. It is situated in the north-east of the region, in Gniezno Lake District, between three lakes : Jelonek, Swietokrzyskie and Winiary. Historically is was one of the most important towns in the times of creation of the Polish state - in Xth and XIth centuries. Gniezno has become the seat of the second polish diocese (after Poznan), but the first - archbishopric. The Gniezno cathedral was - for almost 300 years - the coronation cathedral, however the kings' and dukes' burials took place - for as well 300 years - in Poznan.

Get in

By plane

The nearest airport is in Poznan (50km) with numerous regular connections accross Europe. You can also use a small airport in Bydgoszcz (90km).

By train

Gniezno is a crucial junction of railroads, but - unfortunately - 2 out of 5 lines leading to Gniezno (from Chojnice and Wagrowiec) are used only for the freight traffic. The main rail line is the one Poznan-Gniezno-Inowroclaw, where it is devided to Gdansk through Bydgoszcz and to Olsztyn through Toruń. There're many trains on this line :

to Poznan up to 17 daily regional trains and 6-10(depending on season) fast ones. The travel time to Poznan varies from 40-45 for fast trains to 55 for the local ones, stopping at every station. If you take into account traffic and jams in Poznan, trains seem to be the best solution, more : the station in Gniezno is located in the heart of the city.

to Bydgoszcz and Gdansk : 4 regional trains and 4-7 fast ones

to Torun and Olsztyn 2 local trains and 3 fast ones.

Apart from this, there are some regional trains to Inowrocław, where you can change for other local ones to do Bydgoszcz and Gdansk or to Torun and Olsztyn.

It's important to mention a line from Gniezno to Wrzesnia and Jarocin, with 4 local trains daily (including two of then, that are coordinated in Jarocin with trains to Wroclaw.

An interesting alternative for those travelling to Gniezno from the south-east (lakes in Powidz, Anastazewo) is a journey by a local 38-km -long narrow-gauge railway. It runs during spring and summer weekends, and - on special wish - on any day. Details : (polish only) [2].

By bus

Gniezno is a big bus travel junction, as well. Most caoaches go not - as ypu might think - to Poznan (trains are dominating on this route), but to other places in the region (only routes to tourist places are mentioned) :

Apart from these : numerous local buses, which have little meaning for tourists.

By car

The main road passing through Gniezno is the country road nr 5, linking the town with Poznan and Wroclaw in the south and with Bydgoszcz and Gdansk in the north and passing through such attractions like Biskupin, Wenecja or Znin. The other roads passing through Gniezno are : the country road nr 15 - enablling you to get to Kruszwica, Strzelno or Torun (Thorn); local road nr 260 - for those travelling in the Lake District nearby Powidz, 190 - to Wagrowiec and 197 to Slawa through the northern parts of Lednicki Lanscape Park.

Get around

For most of tourist the city transport in Gniezno will be totally unimportant, as all main city attractions are situated in the very centre (6-8 minute walk from both rail and bus station). But - if necessary - Gniezno buses will take you to some other districts of the city and surroundings.
Fees - the ticket system is here very easy : single ride will cost you 2 zloty (0.45€), the fee doubles at night (23-5). If you travel more, you can use 11-ride ticket for 21 zloty. Unfortunately - there're no multiple-day tickets, the only opton for those staying in the city for longer - are month tickets : for one line : 50 zlotys (12€), for two lines : 60, for the whole network : 100 zlotys.

The network consists of 16 city bus lines and 1 out-of-city line, but take into account, that some lines run only few times a day (e.g. in peak hours).

See

The Assumption and St. Adalbert Cathedral, inside : the reliquary of St. Adalbert, famous Romanesque bronze Gniezno Door, the most precious example of romanesque art in Poland and numerous gothic, renassaince and baroque epiphaties and chapels, with the biggest polish collection of baroque gratings.

To visit the cathedral, enten it through the northern door, where a ticket-office is located, there you can choose between many options of the sightseeing (only the interiours, plus the Gniezno Door, plus the Undergrounds etc).

The Archbishopric Archive - with a marvellous collections of early medieval documents : The Golden Gniezno Codex , papal edict of Innocent IInd from 1136, pergamine gospel (manuscript) from appr. 800 from France.

The Gothic church of St. John the Baptist with a unique polichromy in the presbytery (more : [4]

The Gothic Parish Church of the Holy Trinity (XVth century)

The gothic and baroque fransiscan church of St. Anthony with a picture of Our Lady - the mastress of Gniezno, famous for many wonders

Primates' Palace

Museums

The Museum of Beginnings of The Polish State 1, Kostrzewskiego str. [5] , mailto:[email protected], Phone : +48 61 426 46 41, open : from Tuesday to Sunday 9:30 - 17:30 (Mai – Sept) or 10.00-17.00 (Oct-Apr). As the main part of the museum is an interactive show about the earliest polish history, reservations are obligatory! – in this part of the museum there can be just one group at the time.

Get out

As well the surroundings of Gniezno offer many monuments from different epoques :

Ostrow Lednicki - an island on the Lednickie Lake with remnants of a fortress from Xth century, he one of the most important places of the Piast Route.

Dziekanowice - located between the island and the road nr 5, one of the biggest open-air museums in Europe, presenting the tradictional buildings from the Greater Poland region

Imiołki - the Fish-Gate (a fish as a symbol of the firt christians in Ist cent AC), where every year in May-June a large youth meeting run by the Dominicans from the Poznan monastery are organised; as well - the new John Paul II Yputh Centre, opened in 2007.